


Breakout: Director's Cut

by mundean



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 12:05:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14811044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mundean/pseuds/mundean
Summary: Rose Quartz was just an ordinary gem working at Pink Diamond's Zoo — that was, until she stumbled her way into treason.





	Breakout: Director's Cut

**Author's Note:**

> Up until recently, I had been working on a backstory for Rose and Pearl, detailing how they met and how their relationship initially developed. A friend and I came up with the concept for this scenario that leads to them meeting. While we still don't know how they actually met in canon, the recent big reveal kind of scrapped this idea for me, but I figure I can still keep this going as an AU. I actually might end up continuing this in the future — the story of Pearl and Rose is a rich one, after all.

Rose wasn’t sure what had come over her. One minute, she’d been standing at her post, surveying the humans’ exhibit - the construction and dispersion of the vegetative live was going rather nicely, as she recalled - and the next, she’d heard commotion down the hall, in the familiarly vindictive and harsh tone of their outpost’s tyrannous Holly Blue Agate. Deciding to see just who it was that Holly Blue was scolding this time, Rose left the observatory and walked - not ran - toward the origin of the noise. Once she’d entered the room, however, Rose held her tongue, and didn’t dare utter a word, for fear of being noticed. Instead, she chose only to watch the scene unfold before her.

“And if you cannot perform your function, what exactly is the POINT of you?!” screamed the Agate, who was presently poised with whip in hand, hair bristling, ready to strike. Before her stood the object of her ridicule, a lone Amethyst, one among the Earthen ilk. One might easily have had the impression that this Quartz was a formidable warrior, with her broad shoulders, toned body, and pristine combat uniform bearing her very own Pink Diamond’s insignia. Indeed, she was a model soldier, save for one fatal flaw: she came out of the crust missing an arm.

In response to her superior, of her own free will or due to sheer terror paralyzing her, the poor Amethyst was unable to formulate a response bearing any semblance of coherency, instead babbling a nervous jumble of noises that seemed only to aggravate the Agate further. Clearly having had enough of the Amethyst’s nonsense, the Agate let out a final predatory growl, and with that, brought down her whip, lashing out at the Quartz before her with cruel force.

Something about the scene before her, the Agate unleashing her unjust fury onto this poor, hopeless soul, triggered something within Rose. Despite her best efforts at containing herself, tears welled in Rose’s eyes, and deep within her, something equally instinctive, and far more powerful was welling.

“Holly Blue!” cried Rose, her own tone now possessing a venom not unlike that of the Agate’s not mere moments ago. Rose’s fists were balled tightly and trembling in outrage. As the Agate turned to face whoever was insolent enough to call her name, Rose struck, not being able to reign in her emotions. She moved without thinking. In a flash, Rose had the Agate pinned on the ground, straddling her so she could not move. She paused, for just a moment, to consider the look of surprise on the gem’s face, and the repercussions her actions might bring. Then, just as quickly as the thought came, it disappeared, and Rose brought her fist down. 

Her strikes were unrelenting, unmerciful, and brutal. the coursing thrill of battle. In a matter of moments, the Agate she had pinned below her was no more, and instead, Rose found herself kneeling on the floor before the recovering gem of her former superior. Without thinking, she raised a fist, poised to strike the vulnerable Quartz and finish her, once and for all, but a force inside of her compelled her to stop. She would not - no, could not allow herself to do this. As much as her gut told her to finish off her enemy, her fist would not move. The fleeting thrill of victory faded fast, as Rose realized what she had done. As she came down from her high, it occurred to her to take in her surroundings.

What she found was a scene of pure bewilderment. Her sistren stared at her, having completely abandoned their traditional poise and restraint. Their jaws gaped and their eyes fearful. Faced with the reality of her situation, Rose was baffled. She was a _traitor_ now. Surely there were already soldiers on their way to subdue her. She could try to explain what she had done to them, but what good would that do? Even _she_ didn't know why she had done it. So that meant she had to run. But where? There was no way she could escape the Zoo — and even if she could, what then? Try as one might, none could escape the _Diamonds'_ grasp. From any angle, her situation looked hopeless.

What was she going to do?


End file.
